Apparatus for cleaning floors and other surfaces, typically vacuum cleaner appliances are known, which use the suction force generated by a motor, the latter rotatably driving a suction fan located along a suction circuit within the apparatus.
The suction circuit is housed in a container body of the apparatus and has an outwardly facing end, typically the end designed to be the front end, with a connection mouthpiece for a hose, which is designed to be held and handled by a user, whereas the opposite end of the circuit is connected to a storage tank in which the sucked dirt material is collected.
In view of improving the performances of these apparatus, in many cases suction operation is combined with the disruptive force of steam, which is typically generated in a boiler arranged within the body of the apparatus.
A volume of a liquid to be heated and turned into steam, typically water, is loaded into the boiler through a water-tight filling opening.
A set of controllable resistors arranged in the boiler heats water until it turns into steam, the latter being later ejected in the form of jets through a conduit that is typically coupled to the suction pipe, for strongly impinging upon the surfaces to be cleaned and sanitized.
Typically, the controls that regulate steam jet ejection and suction are disposed on a handle located on the suction pipe and can be easily actuated by one hand.
These apparatus may have various sizes according to their intended use, and typically smaller apparatus are generally designed for use in home environments, whereas larger apparatus are generally designed for use in industrial environments.
This prior art suffers from certain drawbacks.
A first drawback is that in prior art apparatus the two separate or combined suction and steam delivery actions are only carried out through the distal end of the single hose that connects the debris collection tank with the boiler.
This involves time-consuming cleaning operations for users, especially in case of large surfaces to be cleaned, because the hose must be displaced in every direction to reach all the points of the surfaces to be cleaned.
A second drawback is that these time-consuming operations are also burdensome for users, who are required to both manoeuver the suction hose in every direction and pull the apparatus to reach every point of the surface and clean it thoroughly.
A further drawback is that, in spite of the use of steam, in many cases the dirt deposited in less exposed locations changes its consistency until it becomes an incrustation which firmly adheres to the surfaces, and cannot be removed not only by suction force, but also by the combined and targeted action of steam jets, however powerful they may be.
Another drawback is that prior art apparatus must be typically connected to a power supply point by means of a connection cable for operation, and for this reason users must repeatedly disconnect the cable from one connection point and re-connect it to another point for displacement of the apparatus in every desired direction.
Yet another drawback is that systematic and progressive build-up of calcareous residues in the boiler causes repeated heating and cooling, and reduces the efficiency of both the boiler and the safety devices mounted thereto with the purpose of preventing overpressure and accidental ejection of steam jets (which reach temperatures exceeding 100° C.) when a user is accidentally in front of the steam outlet.